


whichever way i go (i come back to the place you are)

by womanaction



Series: AA Missing Scenes & Episode Tags [5]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, and Jeff/Britta I guess, mentions of Abed/Rachel, mentions of Annie/Jeff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 13:42:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10877976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/womanaction/pseuds/womanaction
Summary: (Friend)shippy episode tag to 5x13 "Basic Sandwich." Annie and Abed discuss love triangles. Mentions of Abed/Rachel.





	whichever way i go (i come back to the place you are)

**Author's Note:**

> Technically, the actual episode tag appears to take place the next day, so this actually occurs mid-episode. Whatever.

After everything is over and Greendale is saved, they go back to the apartment alone. Annie had suggested an impromptu party (following the larger, even more impromptu party in the cafeteria), but everyone had been too tired. She’d expected to be disappointed, but secretly she’s a little relieved. Now that the adrenaline is wearing off she’s fine with watching movies at home with Abed until she falls asleep.

Or she would be, if he’d ever make up his mind.

He’s sitting serenely on the floor, carefully sorting the movies into intimidatingly large stacks. She doesn’t have the heart to tell him that she’s not up to marathoning all night, even if classes are over. He seems utterly content.

“Hey,” she says, before thinking about it. “How come earlier you were all ‘there must be a plot’ but now you’re completely calm?”

He looks at her as he stacks the last case. “It’s summer now. Plus, we’re at home. Plots at home are optional.”

Pre-#AnniesMove she would have just nodded and pretended to understand. Now, she actually does, in some weird way. She’s not really sure how to express that, so she still just nods, but Abed seems to accept that. “80s or 90s?” he asks abruptly.

It’s a game they play sometimes, a way for Annie to have some input without completely destroying Abed’s sense of order. “80s.”

He makes a “hmm” noise and starts sorting through the 80s pile.

She must still be a little hyped up from earlier, because before she knows it, she’s talking again. “Hey, how crazy would it have been if Jeff and Britta had actually gotten married? Thanks for talking me down from that, by the way.”

“No problem. Action, sci-fi, or feel-good comedy?”

“Feel-good comedy.”

Abed doesn’t look up from the DVDs. “I knew you had nothing to worry about,” he continues smoothly. “We’re coming back next year and it’s still relatively rare for a love triangle in the main cast to be firmly resolved before the series finale.”

“The Office _._ ”

“Karen was introduced later. First Girl Wins. There was no way it could be otherwise. Unless you’re referring to Roy, but he was an obvious false lead.”

 “Parks and Rec,” she says immediately again before catching herself. “Wait, but that’s not the point. This is real life, Abed and – it’s not a love triangle, anyway.”

“That was barely a love triangle. Ann had already moved on with the exception of a minor backslide manufactured to improve ratings. And Rashida Jones may be an outlier,” he allows. Completely ignoring her “real life” comment (as she knew he would), he adds, “The relationship between you, Jeff, and Britta may be slightly more nuanced and unspoken than some traditional love triangles, but it’s still obvious. Don’t worry, Annie – people say it’s cliché, but love triangles are a genre staple for a reason.”

“That’s not – we’ve been over this. I don’t _love_ Jeff.”

“Ah, denial.” He finally seems to find what he’s looking for in the pile and stands up. “Riddle me this, Annie, if you don’t love Jeff, why were you so upset when you thought he would marry Britta?”

“Because I’m not ready for things to change!” she blurts out. Her exclamation seems to momentarily stay his normally steady hands as he reaches to put the disk in, but when he turns his expression is as neutral as usual. “I don’t want things to change yet,” she says again, satisfied with the thought.

Abed takes a seat next to her on the couch. They’ve taken to sitting there instead of in (or on the edge of) the recliners when it’s just them. It’s easier to share a blanket or a bowl of popcorn. There’s no popcorn tonight, but she drapes the rest of the blanket over his legs and he gives her a small smile. “I don’t want things to change yet, either,” he confesses.

He’s looking at her intently now, and she’s sure he’s just trying to communicate empathy as best he can but she’s uncomfortably reminded of earlier when he had accused her of starting a “kiss lean.” Which was _so_ ridiculous and not a thought she needs to entertain for any amount of time. In an effort to break his gaze (and lighten the mood), she elbows him gently. “What are we watching?”

“ _Say Anything_.”

“Abed! You said feel good! You know that movie makes me cry.”

“You always say you feel better after you cry,” he counters.

Annie pouts. “I’ll cry on you,” she says, only half-joking. It wouldn’t be the first time.

To emphasize her point, she curls up and put her head on his shoulder. He stiffens for a second, and again she wonders if he’ll interpret the gesture as an advance and push her away. She’d never had to worry about this before he had a girlfriend, she muses absently. It was strange to think that maybe something had already changed between them. Abed relaxes after a second and when he responds, it’s a challenge. “Do your worst.”

She hides her grin in the sleeve of his pajama shirt.


End file.
